Meeting_Body
REVISED
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 18, 2019
Subject
SUBJECT: SR-710 NORTH CORRIDOR MOBILITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS - ROUND 2
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE the following actions pertaining to the development and implementation of additional corridor mobility improvement projects (MIPs) on local arterials and local freeway interchanges experiencing congestion because of the discontinuity of the SR 710 North Freeway:
A. APPROVE the attached Round 2 list of eligible MIPs recommended for funding (Attachments A and B);
B. AUTHORIZE staff to program an additional $280 million in Measure R funds and $232.3 million in State and federal funds for a total of $512.3 million for the Round 2 MIPs starting in FY 2020-21;
C. AUTHORIZE staff to reallocate $18 million in Measure R funds from three MIPs in the City of San Marino approved by the Board in December 2018 for projects to other projects due to the City’s decision not to pursue those projects;
D. AUTHORIZE staff to consolidate the $105 million Measure R funds allocated to the TSM/TDM Projects cleared under the SR-710 North Final Environmental Document with the Measure R funds for the MIPs under one “MIP” category for ease in managing and reporting all SR-710 North Corridor Mobility Improvements;
E. AUTHORIZE the CEO or his designee to negotiate and execute all necessary agreements with project sponsors to implement the approved MIPs; and
F. AUTHORIZE staff to approve changes in the number, scopes, and budgets of projects within the overall program approvals requested in this board report and consistent with the directives in Motion 29.1 (Attachment C).
Approval of the above recommendations will allow programming of all remaining Measure R, State and federal funds for the MIPs listed in this Board Report subject to the availability of funds.
Issue
ISSUE
At its December 2018 meeting, the Metro Board of Directors approved allocation of $515 million from the SR-710 freeway gap closure project to 51 eligible MIPs consistent with the guidelines in Board Motion 29.1 (Attachment C). This action left a balance of approximately $512.3 million ($280 million in Measure R funds and $232.3 million in State and federal funds) available for additional eligible MIPs.
The SR-710 North MIP appraisal/selection process was extended to a second round to identify/qualify additional MIPs for funding and implementation.
Recently, $18 million in Measure R funds became available for Round 2 MIPs after the City of San Marino withdrew three projects that were approved by the Board in December 2018 without substitution projects.
This Board report presents all updates and changes in the SR-710 local project funding program since December 2018 Board action.
Background
BACKGROUND
The SR-710 North Project Approval and Environmental Document (PAED) process was initiated in 2011 by Metro and Caltrans following decades of unsuccessful efforts to identify investments to alleviate the escalating traffic congestion in east/northeast Los Angeles and western San Gabriel Valley resulting from the absence of a portion of the SR-710 and freeway linkage between the I-10 and I-210.
Alternatives including No-Build, Transportation System Management/Transportation Demand Management (TSM/TDM), Bus Rapid Transit, Light Rail Transit, and a freeway tunnel were studied. Current and potential future traffic and the anticipated benefits of each alternative considered and studied were discussed with the impacted communities and stakeholders and feedback was documented/incorporated in the environmental document.
At its May 2017 meeting, the Metro Board of Directors introduced Motion 29.1, which adopted the TSM/TDM as the Locally-Preferred Alternative and directed staff to identify additional mobility improvements beyond the TSM/TDM projects listed in the SR-710 environmental document that could improve traffic flow along the SR-710 corridor between I-10 and I-210 as well as mobility improvements projects in the City and County of Los Angeles. Based on Motion 29.1, approximately $1 billion in local, State and federal funds were to be made available for eligible MIPs.
Caltrans signed the final environmental document (FED) on November 26, 2018 confirming the TSM/TDM as the Preferred Alternative. The Record of Decision (ROD) was signed on August 6, 2019.
Upon adoption of the TSM/TDM as the LPA, Metro and local agencies identified projects that, upon implementation, would improve mobility in the SR-710 corridor. Lists of 170 projects with a total value of approximately $1.3 billion were submitted by project sponsors (Attachment D). Recommended projects were submitted to and approved by the Metro Board of Directors in December 2018 (Attachment E). Since more funds were available in the SR-710 account, a second round of project identification/qualification was conducted.
New Round 2 allocations to the San Gabriel valley cities projects include $18 million in Measure R funds approved by the Board in December 2018 for three San Marino projects. The City of San Marino declined to accept those funds and withdrew the three projects without substitution.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
SR-710 North MIP Appraisal/Selection Process
Local agencies/project sponsors were invited to submit projects for the 2nd MIP funding cycle consistent with the program requirements described in Motion 29.1. Local agencies were encouraged to identify projects that would complement the Round 1 MIPs approved in December 2018 and maximize the mobility benefits and improve the roadway network efficiency.
Motion 29.1 required that the MIPs in the San Gabriel Valley sub-region be consistent with the Purpose and Need of the SR-710 Gap Closure project, with the highest priority given to projects proximate to I-10. Staff supported investing in major arterials and/or the freeway interchanges in San Gabriel Valley that are and/or will be overburdened by the escalating vehicular demand (including the facilities adversely impacted by the absence of the SR-710 freeway) on heavily used alternative/bypass routes.
Motion 29.1 also referenced dedicated State and federal funds for use in the Central sub-region comprised of parts of the City of Los Angeles and the unincorporated East Los Angeles for multi-modal and safety enhancement projects. The projects submitted by the City and County of Los Angeles were evaluated based on the guidance provided in Motion 29.1, the information provided by the project sponsors (socio-economic data, dominant trip modes, prevailing origins and destinations of trips, etc.), consideration of those areas being outside the core area of impact of the SR-710 and the roadway network operational benefits gained by focused roadway capacity enhancements/operational improvements projects.
A total of 81 project proposals (Attachment F) were submitted by the project sponsors, 25 MIPs with an approximate value of $298 million in the San Gabriel Valley cities and 28 projects totaling $233 million in the City and County of Los Angeles are presented in this report for Board approval and programming/funding starting in FY2020-21 based on availability of funds and anticipated cash flow.
Project Types
Selection and qualification of projects in Round 2 was consistent with the Round 1 process with continued focus on operational/mobility improvement and system and demand management.
Consistent with Round 1 evaluations, rehabilitation/maintenance projects submitted by project sponsors were not considered. There were no funding requests for Studies or Parking Structures in Round 2.
Requests to fund active transportation projects were considered if integrated into street/local freeway interchange capacity enhancements or operational improvement projects. For example, Class II or III bicycle lanes that are built as part of a street widening for additional traffic lanes (within the same limits) were considered for funding; pedestrian improvements incorporated into operational improvement projects at intersections (within the limits of the intersections being improved) were also considered for funding; and other projects with similar concepts that focus on investing in effective and verifiable congestion relief projects were considered for funding. Based on this criterion, there were no active transportation projects recommended for funding in Round 2.
SR 710- North TSM/TDM Projects & New MIPs
Board Motion 29.1 allocated $105 million of the SR-710 Measure R funds to the TSM/TDM projects listed in the SR-710 North environmental document. Most of the local agencies in the San Gabriel Valley that had TSM/TDM projects listed in the SR-710 North Project FED opted to replace those with new MIPs. Those MIPs have expanded scopes and higher costs than the TSM/TDM projects replaced.
For ease in reporting all SR 710 North corridor mobility improvements, staff has noted and consolidated the similar TSM/TDM projects and MIPs in this Board Report and will only reference the funding and programming of eligible MIPs that have been approved by the Metro Board of Directors from this point forward.
The Round 2 MIPs recommended for funding were conceptually approved based on the project information (Attachments G and H) and anticipated benefits presented by the project sponsors and a follow up cursory validation by the Metro staff. Staff will further validate the scopes and benefits of those projects before funding agreements are finalized.
Funding:
The recommended projects and funding allocations by project sponsor for Rounds 1 and 2 are shown in Attachment I.
Funds allocated for each MIP will be on a one-time basis. Metro will not fund any cost increases. Potential cost savings will remain in the Corridor and will be assigned to other projects consistent with the Purpose of the program as determined by Metro.
Other funds:
More funds will become available from the proceeds from the sale of more than 400 State-owned properties under the SR-710 North Rehabilitation Account (710 North Rehab Account) to fund additional projects in Pasadena, South Pasadena, Alhambra, La Canada Flintridge, and the 90032 Postal Zip Code not included in the Round 1 and 2 lists of projects consistent with the guidelines in Government Code 54237.7 and subject to all requirements governing the use of those funds. Those projects may include, but are not limited to, sound walls; transit and rail capital improvements; bikeways; pedestrian improvements; signal synchronization; dedicated left- and right-turn lanes at intersections; and major street resurfacing, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.
The sale of the State-owned properties will be conducted in three phases and the proceeds from the sales will be assigned to eligible projects by the California Transportation Commission (CTC). As of the date of this report, the CTC has approved nine property sales. The guidelines for the revenue disposition from the sale of the State-owned properties are under development.
Caltrans will provide status updates on the disposition of the State-owned properties to CTC and Metro. Metro will continue to facilitate dialogue between Caltrans and the affected local jurisdictions; coordinate/submit the list of local projects to Caltrans and CTC for approval and funding; and program those funds when available.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
The proposed action has no known adverse impact on the safety of Metro’s patrons and employees or users of the facility. Caltrans’ and local safety standards will be adhered to in the design and implementation of the proposed improvements.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Upon approval of the recommendations, a new FY20 project number will be created and funded for all of the MIPs. FY20 Budget for the MIPs will be created through a net zero budget transfer using existing Highway Program funds currently budgeted in Cost Center 4730, SR-710 North Corridor project 460315, Professional Services Account 50316, Task 01. No amendment to the FY 20 budget is required at this time.
A total of $532.2 million in local, State and federal funds will be programmed for the second round of projects based on eligibility and availability of specific fund sources starting in FY20, consistent with the start of programming for the initial list of MIPs approved by the Board in December 2018 (Board Report 2018-0513). Staff will continue to use the existing approved FY20 budget to reallocate any additional funds necessary for the MIP projects requiring funds beyond the current fiscal year budget as future costs are identified. Highway staff will also refine future cashflow needs for the recommendations and coordinate the funding impact as part of the agency’s overall funding strategy. Since this is a multi-year project, the Project Manager, the Cost Center Manager, and the Senior Executive Officer, Program Management - Highway Program will be responsible for budgeting the remaining costs of the Project in future fiscal years.
Impact to Budget
Per prior Board action, the Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County MIPs will be funded from Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, and State Regional Improvement Program funds, subject to all requirements of those funds.
The source of funds will be Measure R Highway Capital (20%) Funds, State Funds (Interregional Improvement Program and Regional Improvement Program funds), and Federal Funds (Regional Surface Transportation Program and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program funds). These funds are not eligible for bus and rail operation and capital expenditures. No other funds were considered.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The additional MIPs recommended for funding herein reflect priorities collaboratively identified by local agencies and Metro to reduce congestion and improve mobility on local streets and at the freeway local interchanges.
Working collectively with project sponsors to implement the MIPs is consistent with Goal No. 1 (provide high-quality mobility option that enable people to spend less time traveling) and Goal No. 4 (transform LA County through regional collaboration) of the Metro Strategic Plan.
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The recommended projects in the San Gabriel Valley cities have been carefully selected to ensure, to the extent possible, operational improvements and connectivity for maximum benefits. The Board may choose to fund other projects submitted by the local agencies that were not approved by staff. This alternative is not recommended as it may not produce the intended and desired benefits. If the Board elects to consider substitute projects, staff will evaluate those projects for eligibility and will report to the Board.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Upon Board approval, project sponsors will be notified of the Board’s decision. Staff, in collaboration with the project sponsors, will refine the project scopes of work, set the project implementation schedules, refine cost estimates, and prepare/execute Funding Agreements.
Staff will provide updates to the Board periodically on the implementation of the approved MIPs and assess the performance of the completed MIPs to determine the effectiveness of the overall program.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Round 2 Mobility Improvement Projects Recommended for Funding -
San Gabriel Valley
Attachment B - Round 2 Mobility Improvement Projects Recommended for Funding -
City and County of Los Angeles
Attachment C - Board Motion 29.1
Attachment D - Round 1 Project Sponsor Submittals
Attachment E - Round 1 Mobility Improvement Projects Recommended for Funding
Attachment F - Round 2 Project Sponsor Submittals
Attachment G - Round 2 Recommended Mobility Improvements Project Descriptions - San Gabriel Valley Cities Projects
Attachment H - Round 2 Recommended Mobility Improvements Project Descriptions -
City and County of Los Angeles Projects
Attachment I - Recommended Projects and Funding Allocations Summaries (Rounds 1 and 2)
Prepared by: Michelle Smith, Senior Director (213) 922-3057
Steven Gota, Deputy Executive Officer (213) 922-3043
Abdollah Ansari, Senior Executive Officer (213) 922-4781
Bryan Pennington, Deputy Chief Program Management Officer (213) 922-7449
Approved_by
Approved by:
Richard F. Clarke, Chief Program Management Officer
